Delta Faces Lawsuit After Alleged Overserving Leads to Fatal Airport Tragedy
Feb 19, 11:00 PM
A complaint claims that Delta Air Lines overserved a man alcoholic beverages during a cross-country journey, causing him to run over and kill his wife in an airport parking lot after landing.
There is no doubt that Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38 at the time, ran over and killed his wife, Charlotte Sturgeon, at Salt Lake City International Airport on April 4, 2022. In July 2022, Sturgeon was found guilty of vehicular homicide and domestic assault in the presence of a child and sentenced to up to 20 years in jail. The charge of manslaughter was dismissed with prejudice.
Representatives for the deceased woman's estate and the couple's child, who witnessed the horrific violence, are now suing the Atlanta-based airline for dram shop liability, wrongful death, and negligent infliction of emotional distress over the alcoholic beverages that Shawn Sturgeon allegedly received onboard the flight.
The Sturgeons were going home after a family vacation in San Antonio. Shawn Sturgeon "had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages" at an airport in Texas that day, according to a lawsuit. The airline apparently served him alcohol again.
"When Shawn boarded the Delta Airlines flight, Delta Airlines personnel served Shawn at least two additional alcoholic beverages with high levels of alcohol content by volume," according to the complaint. “Upon landing in Salt Lake City, the alcoholic beverages served by Delta Airlines had intoxicated Shawn to a level well in excess of the legal blood alcohol limit, rendering him impaired.”
The lawsuit alleges that everything happened in an alcohol-induced fog around the time the soon-to-be-shattered family disembarked.
"Shawn was so intoxicated that he claims to have no memory of landing or walking through the Salt Lake City airport," according to the lawsuit.
There is no doubt that Shawn Sturgeon was heavily inebriated when he took the wheel of his family's SUV in the airport's North Parking Plaza. Following the crash, authorities discovered that the man had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .13%, nearly three times Utah's legal limit of.05%.
“In his intoxicated state, Shawn entered the driver’s seat of the vehicle while Charlotte was still outside the vehicle,” the lawsuit reads. “Shawn started the vehicle, put it into gear, and applied the gas in an attempt to leave the parking stall. When he did so, he was impaired as a result of his intoxication and did not perceive that Charlotte was still outside the vehicle and in the way of his path of travel.”
Law enforcement characterized the fatal occurrence in far more explicit and precise terms.
Before getting into the SUV, the guy "argued with his wife so loudly and viciously that it made several people in the area uncomfortable," according to a charging document acquired by the Salt Lake City Tribune.
According to authorities, security footage shows the father placing his youngster inside before stepping into the driver's seat. After that, his wife got out of the front passenger seat to check on their child, at which point the vehicle was "abruptly" placed into reverse, causing the mother to lose balance. Then, with the back passenger door still open, the automobile speeds in reverse again, eventually knocking Charlotte down and dragging her.
After that, Shawn Sturgeon shifts gears and drives forward, pulling his wife about 10 feet and leaving a tire print on her.
"Are you f—— crazy?" one witness said Shawn Sturgeon yelled at his wife after understanding what was happening. "Get the f— up now. "Get off the ground and into the car."
Another witness told police that the husband asked his wife "why she just did that," then said something along the lines of "Now I have to take you to the emergency room," before "aggressively" lifting her up off the pavement and forcing her back inside the car.
The SUV can be seen driving to a parking garage payment station, where Shawn Sturgeon approached an attendant for assistance. At that point, his wife was still breathing. She was transported to a local hospital, where she immediately died from her injuries.
The lawsuit claims that Delta "knew or should have known" that Shawn was heavily intoxicated when it allowed him to leave the plane after serving him alcohol and that the airline "took no steps to keep Shawn from driving" or informed law enforcement about his intoxication and potentially impaired driving.
Delta has generically criticized the case but has not provided specifics.
"Although we dispute the allegations in the Complaint, we cannot comment further on the pending litigation," a spokeswoman said.
The case seeks a variety of damages, including medical expenditures, lost wages, burial costs, pain and suffering, mental anguish, annoyance, loss of companionship, and enjoyment of life. The complaint was first filed in Utah in late January but was brought to federal court late last week.
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There is no doubt that Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38 at the time, ran over and killed his wife, Charlotte Sturgeon, at Salt Lake City International Airport on April 4, 2022. In July 2022, Sturgeon was found guilty of vehicular homicide and domestic assault in the presence of a child and sentenced to up to 20 years in jail. The charge of manslaughter was dismissed with prejudice.
Representatives for the deceased woman's estate and the couple's child, who witnessed the horrific violence, are now suing the Atlanta-based airline for dram shop liability, wrongful death, and negligent infliction of emotional distress over the alcoholic beverages that Shawn Sturgeon allegedly received onboard the flight.
The Sturgeons were going home after a family vacation in San Antonio. Shawn Sturgeon "had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages" at an airport in Texas that day, according to a lawsuit. The airline apparently served him alcohol again.
"When Shawn boarded the Delta Airlines flight, Delta Airlines personnel served Shawn at least two additional alcoholic beverages with high levels of alcohol content by volume," according to the complaint. “Upon landing in Salt Lake City, the alcoholic beverages served by Delta Airlines had intoxicated Shawn to a level well in excess of the legal blood alcohol limit, rendering him impaired.”
The lawsuit alleges that everything happened in an alcohol-induced fog around the time the soon-to-be-shattered family disembarked.
"Shawn was so intoxicated that he claims to have no memory of landing or walking through the Salt Lake City airport," according to the lawsuit.
There is no doubt that Shawn Sturgeon was heavily inebriated when he took the wheel of his family's SUV in the airport's North Parking Plaza. Following the crash, authorities discovered that the man had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .13%, nearly three times Utah's legal limit of.05%.
“In his intoxicated state, Shawn entered the driver’s seat of the vehicle while Charlotte was still outside the vehicle,” the lawsuit reads. “Shawn started the vehicle, put it into gear, and applied the gas in an attempt to leave the parking stall. When he did so, he was impaired as a result of his intoxication and did not perceive that Charlotte was still outside the vehicle and in the way of his path of travel.”
Law enforcement characterized the fatal occurrence in far more explicit and precise terms.
Before getting into the SUV, the guy "argued with his wife so loudly and viciously that it made several people in the area uncomfortable," according to a charging document acquired by the Salt Lake City Tribune.
According to authorities, security footage shows the father placing his youngster inside before stepping into the driver's seat. After that, his wife got out of the front passenger seat to check on their child, at which point the vehicle was "abruptly" placed into reverse, causing the mother to lose balance. Then, with the back passenger door still open, the automobile speeds in reverse again, eventually knocking Charlotte down and dragging her.
After that, Shawn Sturgeon shifts gears and drives forward, pulling his wife about 10 feet and leaving a tire print on her.
"Are you f—— crazy?" one witness said Shawn Sturgeon yelled at his wife after understanding what was happening. "Get the f— up now. "Get off the ground and into the car."
Another witness told police that the husband asked his wife "why she just did that," then said something along the lines of "Now I have to take you to the emergency room," before "aggressively" lifting her up off the pavement and forcing her back inside the car.
The SUV can be seen driving to a parking garage payment station, where Shawn Sturgeon approached an attendant for assistance. At that point, his wife was still breathing. She was transported to a local hospital, where she immediately died from her injuries.
The lawsuit claims that Delta "knew or should have known" that Shawn was heavily intoxicated when it allowed him to leave the plane after serving him alcohol and that the airline "took no steps to keep Shawn from driving" or informed law enforcement about his intoxication and potentially impaired driving.
Delta has generically criticized the case but has not provided specifics.
"Although we dispute the allegations in the Complaint, we cannot comment further on the pending litigation," a spokeswoman said.
The case seeks a variety of damages, including medical expenditures, lost wages, burial costs, pain and suffering, mental anguish, annoyance, loss of companionship, and enjoyment of life. The complaint was first filed in Utah in late January but was brought to federal court late last week.
Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj
Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com